| Cefn (Newbridge) Viaduct | |
|---|---|
| Native name Traphont Cefn (Newbridge) (Welsh) | |
 The viaduct with anArriva Trains WalesPremier Service | |
 Interactive map of Cefn (Newbridge) Viaduct | |
| Location | Cefn andChirk, Wrexham, Wales |
| Nearest city | Wrexham |
| Coordinates | 52°57′48″N3°03′55″W / 52.96337°N 3.06538°W /52.96337; -3.06538 |
| Height | 44.8 metres (147 ft) |
| Built | 1848 |
| Built for | Shrewsbury and Chester Railway |
| Current use | Railway viaduct |
| Architect | Henry Robertson |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Cefn (Newbridge) Viaduct (partly in Cefn Community) Railway Viaduct over River Dee |
| Designated | 4 January 1966 Amended 29 July 1998 and 30 April 1996 |
| Reference no. | 628[1] and 619[2] (dual-listed) |
TheCefn (Newbridge) Viaduct[i] isGrade II* listedrailway viaduct across theRiver Dee betweenCefn andChirkcommunities inWrexham County Borough,Wales. The viaduct is near the villages ofCefn Mawr (and Cefn-bychan), Pentre andNewbridge. The viaduct forms the eastern boundary ofTŷ Mawr Country Park and is around a mile downstream ofPontcysyllte Aqueduct.
The viaduct is listed byCadw as the "Cefn (Newbridge) Viaduct"[1] and "Railway Viaduct over River Dee".[2] There are other names for the structure, named based on either the surrounding features or simply shortened to Cefn Viaduct.[3][4][5][6][7][8] The viaduct is also named after the surrounding places such the Cefn Mawr Viaduct,[9] Cefn-bychan Viaduct,[10] Newbridge (Railway) Viaduct[10][11] or Dee Railway Viaduct.[12]
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The viaduct was designed byHenry Robertson, chief engineer of theShrewsbury and Chester Railway, to carry the railway line across the River Dee between Newbridge and Cefn-bychan. Building commenced in 1846, withThomas Brassey as the general contractor.[1][2][10] It was completed on 14 August 1848, with the ceremony of keying the viaduct's last stone performed byWilliam Ormsby Gore,[3][13] and opened for service in October 1848.[4][7] The cost of construction was £72,346 in 1848, equivalent to £7,730,000 in 2021.[1][2][10][7] Theentire railway line was initiated by Robertson, who had received training fromGeorge Stephenson, and recognised that theexisting canal network was not meeting the material transport needs betweenWrexham andChester. By 1845, rival schemes were proposed to link Chester andShrewsbury viaRuabon, with Robertson stating to a parliamentary committee that the railway line would open thecoalfields at Ruabon and Wrexham to markets in Chester,Birkenhead andLiverpool.[3] The line became part of theGreat Western Railway (GWR) system in 1854, but was not converted tobroad gauge as part of GWR.[1][2]Tŷ Mawr Country Park is immediately west of the viaduct.[5][6][14]
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The viaduct is built of coursed squared Cefnsandstone from Chatham's Quarry,[4][7] with the upperarched stage of brick faced with stone. It is 460 m (1,510 ft) long, comprising 19 arches of 18.2 m (60 ft) span, and two arches of 9 m (30 ft),[14] and rising 44.8 m (147 ft) above the river.[1][2] At the time of opening it was claimed to be the longest viaduct in Britain.[15]
It is listed as a Grade II* building because of the structure's "highly impressive and architecturally elegant example of mid 19th century railway engineering".[1][2]
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On 25 January 1928 at 4:05 a.m., two freight trains collided on the viaduct. A 3.30 a.m. Oswestry to Birkenhead 26-wagon freight train suffered engine failure on the viaduct caused by a missingcotter, and driver Johnson decided to stop on the viaduct for inspection and repair. While the train was stationary on the viaduct, the approaching 12.45 a.m. Wolverhampton (Oxley) to Birkenhead 47-wagon freight train crashed into the rear of the stationary Oswestry train after being previously signalled for clear passage on the viaduct. Some personnel on board the trains were injured: the Oswestry guard suffered injuries and burns, the Oswestry driver and Oxley guard were slightly injured, and the Oxley driver and fireman suffered from shock. The Oxley train's wheels and three wagons were derailed and damaged, five wagons of the Oswestry train were completely wrecked, and the guard's van and some other wagons of the Oswestry train caught fire.[16][17] Before the accident, signalman Edwards of the Llangollen Junction signal box was contacted by Richards, signalman of Black Park, at 4.01 a.m. asking whether the Oswestry train had passed out of section. It had passed Black Park at 3.50 a.m. The usual journey time between Llangollen Junction and Black Park was nine minutes, and Richards was aware of the approaching Oxley train. Edwards did not reply to Richards, and assumed the Oswestry train had passed him and he had forgotten to clear it, so he signalled "Train out of Section" to Black Park. Richards immediately asked for "Line Clear" for the approaching Oxley train, which Edwards accepted at 4.02 a.m.[16][17] After passing through a bend, the Oxley train travelled at 30–35 mph (48–56 km/h) down a slight gradient, when driver Hopkins saw the Oswestry train's tail lamps on the viaduct. Hopkins immediately cut off steam and applied the brakes, throwing on-board guard Williams to the floor, but he was unable to stop the train fully; it was still moving at about 10 mph (16 km/h) when it crashed into the Oswestry train.[16][17]
The line was blocked for almost 14 hours after the incident.[16][17]
